Prefabricated fireplace



March 13, 1956 Filed Oct. 2, 1951 C. F. PERSON PREFABRICATED FIREPLACE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. 0504 R E PERS o/v Y flaw w A 7'TORNEY March 13, 1956 o. F. PERSON 2,737,944

PREFABRICATED FIREPLACE Filed Oct. 2, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 52 INVENTOR.

OSCAR F PERSON BY 2T 7- dam 641% A TTORNEY United States Patent PREFABRIGATEDFIRE-PLACE Oscar F. Person, Burlingame, Calif.

Application October 2, 1951', SerialN'o. 249,331

2 Claims. (Cl;.126--13.0);

This invention relates to a fireplace and has for its object to provide a prefabricated fireplace which may be mass-produced at a factory and conveniently brought to a place where it is desired to install the same.

Another object of this invention is to provide an article of manufacture which may be mass-produced conveniently and cheaply.

Still another object of this invent-ion is to provide an article of manufacture whichis made. of a. few subassemblies which may be cast as separate units and which are easily put together andv cemented to make up a fireplace.

Still another object of this invention is to produce a prefabricated fireplace which is; comparatively light, fireproof and which may be moved from. place to place as a unit.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the. spec.- ification proceeds and the noyelfeatures; of the device will. be particularly pointed out in the claims: hereto annexed.

In this specification and the annexed drawings, the invention is illustrated in the form considered tobe the best but it is understood that the invention is not limited to such form; and it is also to be understood that in and by the claims following the description, it isdesired to cover the invention in whatsoever form it may be embodied.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is a front view of a fireplace constructed in accordance with the teaching of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a side wall of the firebox.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the backwall of the firebox.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the throat unit of the fireplace.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the firebox and lintel cast together as a unit; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the outer shell and the base cast together as a unit.

In detail, the prefabricated fire place, comprising the subject matter of this invention, consists of a base 1, an outer shell 2, a firebox 3 and a throat 4.

The base 1 is preferably made out of cement mixed with light weight aggregate and is in form of a regular trapezium in which the larger parallel side forms the front side 6 of the base 1, the lesser parallel sidethe back 7 and the sides, converging toward the back 7, form the sides 8 of the base 1. The central portion 10 of the base 1 is covered with embedded fire bricks or the like to make a fire-proof floor 11 therein.

The base 1 is reinforced with steel rods 12 which preferably are embedded in said base in close proximity to said front and back and also in the middle and 'ice . 2 parallel to said. sides 8.. The rods 12which are located close to said front and back of the base 1, are bent upwardly as indicated at 14 and extend: above. said. base a certain distance and terminate with. eyes 1.6.v by which fireplace may bev lifted and moved from place to place. The outer shell 2 consists of side Walls 17 and a back wall 18 cemented to said base 1. The rods 14.

pass through the back wall 1.8 and the side walls 17 and extend above the same. to form the eyes 16. The

side walls 17 and the back wall 18 may be built out:

of. hollow light weight blocks, or they may be cast out. of cement mixed. with light weight aggregate. as a. unit with the base 1 in one operation. If the side andv back walls arebuilt of hollow blocks, the rods 14 are passed through the openings in said blocks whereupon said openings are grouted.

The firebox 3 consists of two sides 20 and a back 21 and is preferably made of light weight fireproof concrete. The firebox 3 is placed inside of the outer shell 2. The sides 20 of the firebox 3 are parallel and abutting. the side walls 17 of the shell, but the back 21 is inclined upwardly and forwardly and away from the back Wall 18 of said shell, thus forming a space 23 which is filled with some dry' fire-proof filler almost level with the top of the back 21. The sides. 26 and the back 21 may be cast separately and then assembled on the base 1, in which: case the back 21 is provided with vertical indentations 22, as shownv in Fig. 5, into which the sides 20 are fitted. The upper front portion of each side 20 is provided with a cut-off portion 24' forming a ledge 25 which supports an end of a reinforced. concrete lintel 26, the inner side- 27 of which is inclined upwardly andbackwardly. The top of the front side of the firebox back 21 is inclined parallel to'the. lintel side 27 thus forming an elongated narrow passage 29. A damper 31 is hinged to the lintel side 27 to keep the passage 29. open or; closed, as shown in Fig. 2. The damper 31 may be easily opened by pushing the damper handle 32 upwardly, whichhandle is.

readily accessible from the outside. The firebox 3 and the lintel 26 may be cast as a separate unit and thereupon placed inside of the outer shell 2 and cemented thereto and to the base 1.

The outer shell 2 and the firebox 3 therein are topped by the throat 4. The latter is in form of a truncated pyramid in which the back 33 is vertical and serves as a continuation of the back wall 18 of said shell. The front side 34 of said throat extends to the outside upper edge of the lintel 26, but the sides 36 extend only to about the middle of the sidewalls 17, so as to permit the rods 14 to protrude from said sidewalls. The throat 4 is cast as a single piece out of concrete mixed with light weight aggregate and is suitably reinforced by rods 37. The throat 4 is hollow inside and is provided with a wide opening 38 in the top 39 to which top a due 40 is attached for carrying away smoke and fumes generated in the fireplace.

Fig. '7 shows as a modified form of this invention a concrete casting 50 which includes a lintel 5i, sides 52 and a back 53, which in size and shape correspond to the lintel 26, sides 20 and back 21 as above described. The casting 50 has a narrow passage 54 for smoke and products of combustion. Fig. 8 shows as a modified form of this invention a concrete casting 57 which consists of a base 58 having a fireproof-ed portion 59 thereof, side walls 60 and a back wall 61. The size and shape of said base and walls are the same as shown and described heretofore, the difference being that said base and Walls are cast as a unit. The casting 57 has four lifting eyes 63 made out of reinforcing iron bars protruding upwardly above said walls, by means of which eyes the fireplace may be lifted and moved from place to place. The castings 50 and 57 are made and easily assembled with a throat 4 at a factory to form a complete fireplace which is delivered to a place where it is to be installed. By this method a considerable saving of labor and material is achieved as compared with the present method of building fire places individually on a job.

The fireplace may also be made of the following separately cast pieces: the base 1, the sidewalls 17 and the back wall 18 of the outer shell, the sides 20 and the back 21 of the firebox 3, the lintel 26 and the throat 4. The above pieces are assembled and cemented at a factory and as complete unit delivered to a place for installation.

The fireplace constructed as above described is fire proof. Whatever heat may be generated by burning wood, paper, coal etc. in the firebox, it will not be transferred to the outer shell in sutficient quantity even to warm walls or other parts of a house which may abut said fireplace. Hot smoke and fumes will dissipate their heat before leaving the space inside of the throat and, hence, do not represent any danger to the part of the house above said fireplace. The fireplace of the above described construction is cheap to produce and install, and may be transferred from place to place.

I claim:

1. In a prefabricated fireplace three unitary prefabricated concrete castings, a first casting forming outer shell of the fireplace and comprising a base having a fireproof portion therein, two side walls converging toward the back of the base and a back wall; a second casting forming a fire box comprising two sides converging toward the back of the casting, a forwardly inclined back, and a lintel connecting said sides at their front upper portions, said lintel, sides and back forming a rearwardly inclined passage for smoke and fumes produced in the fireplace; and a third casting forming a hollow throat and consisting of four walls, each in form of a trapezoid, the front and the side walls being inwardly inclined, and a top connecting said walls, said second casting being of the size to fit into the first casting, and the third casting being of the size to rest on the sides and the back wall of the first casting and onthe lintel of the second casting.

2. A prefabricated fireplace consisting of three unitary prefabricated concrete castings, a first casting forming outer shell of the fireplace and comprising a base having a fireproof portion therein, two side walls converging toward the back of the base and a back wall; a second casting forming a fire box comprising two sides converging toward the back of the casting, a forwardly inclined back, and a lintel connecting said sides at their front upper portions, said lintel, sides and back forming a rearwardly inclined passage for smoke and fumes produced in the fireplace; and a third casting forming a hollow throat and consisting of four walls each in form of a trapezoid, the front and the side walls being inwardly inclined, and a top connecting said walls; said second casting being of the size to fit into the first casting, and the third casting being of the size to rest on the sides and the back wall of the first casting and on the lintel of the second casting, said second casting being cemented in the first casting and the third casting being cemented to the first and second castings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 659,998 Bates Oct. 16, 1910 1,029,151 Taylor June 11, 1912 1,069,944 Haggard Aug. 12, 1913 1,322,603 Norman Nov. 25, 1919 1,629,012 Trimble May 17, 1927 1,711,090 Ford et al. Apr. 20, 1929 1,755,771 Chambers Apr. 22, 1930 2,103,171 Nilson Dec. 21, 1937 2,174,435 Boyter Sept. 26, 1939 2,393,812 Robinson Jan. 29, 1946 2,570,598 Roos Oct. 9, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 140,195 Great Britain Mar. 25, 1920 476,210 Great Britain Dec. 3, 1937 490,587 Great Britain Aug. 17, 1938 514,205 Great Britain Nov. 2, 1939 

